Germany's World Cup horror in football: Gallardo takes over as coach in Ecuador

Germany's football World Cup nightmare, the surprising defeat to Ecuador in the World Cup group match in the summer, leads to a new coach: the 50‑year‑old Argentine Marcelo Gallardo has signed a contract until 2030 as Ecuador's national team coach, and after Sebastián Beccacece stepped down following the exit in the round of 16.

Beccacece's farewell after World Cup exit

Sebastián Beccacece led the Ecuadorians, also known as La Tri, to the round of 16, where they were eliminated 0‑2 by Mexico. Previously, he had beaten the DFB‑Elf 2‑1 in the group match against Germany. After the World Cup exit in the round of 16, he stepped down as national coach.

Gallardo – Successful coach takes national post

The Argentine Marcelo Gallardo, 50 years old, signed a contract until 2030 as Beccacece's successor and takes on the role of national coach. It is his first position as a national coach. The source Gregory Bull/AP/dpa/dpa‑pictures provides the archive image; the video in the article was published with narration, current time 0:00 and total duration 0:00.

As a successful coach at River Plate, Gallardo has won fourteen official titles since 2014, including the Copa Libertadores twice. In February of this year he left the club after his second spell. He had previously been a player at River Plate himself and is already the fifth Argentine coach that the federation has hired in eleven years.

Ecuadorian Football Federation president Francisco Egas said: “We have a generation that competes at the highest level. We have talent, structure and ambition and believe that the national team is taking the next step.”

Gallardo could make his debut on September 24 against South Korea as part of an Asian tour. In addition to qualifying for the 2030 World Cup, with the opening matches to be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, the Copa América 2028 also awaits Ecuador as another challenge.